Israel is bracing for possible unrest on Tuesday, when Palestinians
commemorate the exodus of hundreds of thousands of their kin
following the foundation of the Jewish state in 1948.

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Nakba Day, marked annually on May 15, is normally marked by protest,
and often by clashes with Israelis in the Palestinian territories.

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"We are coordinating with the military and border police, we hope
things will be quiet," Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told
AFP on Monday. "We have mobilised a number of units in various
areas," he said, without elaborating.

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Palestinians traditionally mark on May 15 the "Nakba" or "disaster"
when hundreds of thousands of them fled or were expelled from their
homes in the war that accompanied Israel´s declaration of
independence.

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More than 760,000 Palestinians -- estimated today to number 4.7
million with their descendants -- fled or were driven out of their
homes in the Arab-Israeli war which accompanied Israel´s
establishment.

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Around 160,000 Palestinians stayed behind and are now known as Arab
Israelis. They number about 1.3 million people, or some 20 percent of
the population.

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Last year, Israeli troops opened fire on demonstrators from Lebanon
and Syria as they tried to breach a security fence and enter Israel.
Four protesters from Syria were killed along with another 10 from
Lebanon. Hundreds were wounded.

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A senior military official in Israel´s northern command said troops
had trained to handle all situations, although they were not aware of
plans for any big demonstrations along the borders as happened last
year.

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"We are getting ready for all kinds of provocations," he told AFP on
condition of anonymity.

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"The Israel Defence Forces are preparing for a tough situation, the
soldiers are getting special training and the right weapons to stop
provocations, without killing people," he said, indicating they would
be equipped with riot control gear.

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"It´s when they catch you unprepared that people can die."

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The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, which represents Arab
communities in Israel, called for a general strike and for Israeli
Arabs to go to displaced Palestinian villages.

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The committee said that this year´s Nakba events were also in
solidarity with the "struggle of our brave prisoners in the Israeli
prisons."

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On Monday evening Palestinian prisoners reached a deal with Israel to
end a mass hunger strike by inmates, in exchange for better
conditions.

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Tuesday´s central Palestinian rally will be in the West Bank city of
Ramallah, organised by the Palestinian Authority.